The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-29
ELIZABETH DILL.
Story Of a Young Girl I Found
Among the Mountains.

among the Mountains.
The first time ever saw Elizabeth Dill
she was hanging to the boot of a stage
coach in the Rocky Mountains. l was
climbing up narrow, rocky pass, and the
coach was coming down. AS it passed me-
] caught sight of a pale faced, scrawny
little figure, in dirty calico dress, holding
10 the straps of the boot behind. Her
tangled yellow hair was flying out in the
breeze, aud her bare feet just escaped the
rocks in the road.
sat down on a rock and watched the
clumsy coach until it went rolling and
swaying around curve in the pass. Here
the girl dropped lightly to the ground, and
came toward me, kicking up the dust as
she quickly advanced. A hundred yards
or more ahead of me there stood rough
log-cabin, to the door Of which, before the
girl reached me, there came a siatternly
woman, with dirty baby in her arms, and
called, in sharp, rasping voice: "Libl
You Lib Dill! Whar on airth air yef'
The child was within ten feet of me
when the woman called. In reply she cried
out, in an injured and irritated tone:
<'Here bel"
What We been doin'l o, know; hangin'
on to the stage, like the tom-boy We air
Want another licken', cha"
81 don't keer fer yer lickin'sl" cried the
child, tossing her unkempt head defiantIy,
while frown came over her thin face.
swell, you better care, missp cried the
woman, angrily.
The girl stood directly in front of me now,
fearless and unabashed. With one swift,
angry movement Of her hand, she stripped
her thin white arm of the loose calico
sleeve that covered it, and held it out be-
fore me.
'Look there, and there, and there ~ she
cried, pointing her finger at three long, dis
colored marks on the upper part of her
arm. 'tDo you think keer fer any of her
lickin's after that!" she asked, with an ex-
preston pitiful to see in the face of a girl
of fourteen years.
''What We doin', Lib Dilli" screamed the
woman. II see We, and ye'd better look
outl'
81 said was going to show them marks
TO everybody l could, long as they was
4here," said Lib to me. ''She give them to
me fer breakin' an old cracked teacup 1t
ain't fair fer her to lick me like that fer an
old cup, is it, misterl''
There came a wistful expression to the
child's face, wistful and pathetic uuaver
to her thin voice, as she pointed with her
bare arm toward the stage coach, which
had appeared again on distant part of the
pass.
'sDo you know, mister, that if could
only do it, I'd hang on to that coach some
time till it had carried me clean away from
heref"
sand leave your parents" / asked.
''Parrentsr' she sneered. "Them amt
my parents; wouldn't own 'em if they
was. She amt no kin at all, an her mans
only some forty-ffth cousin or other of my
dead AM gone mother; but they're jist as
much kin as / want 'em to be-"
The words were uttered with scorn, but
on Lib's face was malignant look that no
young girls face should wear.
Unmindful of the woman's command to
s'Come right straight herer" Lib sat down
on a rock ear me, rested her chin in one
OF her thin hands, and asked: "Where you
fromw
From New England" said.
t'Purty country, amt itl''
''Very pretty indeed, at this time of the
scar" 1t was then October. Have you
ever been Eastl" asked.
''Mew Lib laughed that unpleasant
laugh again. She stood on a bowlder, and
pointed far away to the west, to where a
long line of mountain peaks rose dark and
pnbroken in the distance.
Mister" she said, 'I amt never been
beyond them mountains in all the days of
my life. Crystal City lays at the foot o.
that range, an / was born there. That
stage coach goin' down this pass III be
further east by noon than lever was From
this rock can see further north an south
than ever was. Ne been Easti Better
Esk if Amt been ter college tooI'
81 don't suppose you have a school here"
] said as gently as l could.
''Mister, I'm the only boy or girl of school
age or size in ten miles o. here Have YOU
any children, misterl"
''I have three" said.
t'Got little girl, mebbei"
'SYes,"I said, "a little girl,n thankful
that she was not as this child was.
''Mebbe she's bout my size, mister!"
s'She is,' l said.
1Wen, now, mister" said Lib, SLOWLY
and deliberately, show would you like fer
her to be like met How would you like
fer her to be licked fer nothin', like am!',
/ shuddered at the mere suggestion of
such dread contingencies. Lib went on:
"You wouldn't like it, heys / reckon
not Well, 1 do hope that little girl of
your'n III neOer be like am, nor what Pm
likely to be when 1 grow up"
The pathos and hopelessness in her voice
brought tears to my eyes
"And, mister. do We know I'd walk, I'd
eraaSl away from this place this day if it
wasn't fer-fer-"
Her ragged sleeve went up to her eyes;
her head, held high in defiance until now,
dropped low; her voice faltered as she went
on.
..f it wasn't for Laty."
"And who is Latyf'
ssThe baby that that there woman held
in her arms when she come to the door,
Her baby, il is. He's the cunnin'est Ettle
thing! an he loves me-. he does. He puts
his arms round my nee K, an says so plain
rs any thing. Dent yoo want to see himl
He amt bit afraid OF strangers and he